U.S. officials said Tuesday that a new $300 million aid package for Ukraine would include additional munitions for drones.
The official announcement was set for later in the week, but the disclosure of the munitions came hours after residential buildings in Moscow were hit by at least eight drones.
On Wednesday more drones attacked two oil refineries about 40-50 miles east of Russia’s biggest oil terminals, sparking a fire in one refinery while the other remained undamaged. Refineries across Russia have been frequent targets of drone attacks since the country invaded Ukraine more than 15 months ago.
A drone strike earlier this month appeared aimed at the Kremlin.
Moscow has blamed Kyiv for the drone attacks, which Kyiv has pushed back against. Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of terrorism while Mykhailo Podolyak, Ukrainian presidential advisor, said Tuesday that Ukraine had “nothing directly to do” with that morning’s drone strike on Moscow.
There have been no suggestions that U.S.-made drones or munitions were used in the attacks on Moscow, and U.S. officials have repeatedly said that Ukraine has agreed not to use any American-provided weapons for attacks on Russian soil.
PHOTO: A missile loaded onto an MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone in Iraq, Feb. 2011
